'Disappointed' Rodgers won't play in Dallas

Dec. 13, 2013

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been ruled out for Sunday's game in Dallas. / Getty Images

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Frustration is mounting for Aaron Rodgers, but the Green Bay Packers aren’t taking any chances with their franchise quarterback.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy ruled Rodgers out of his sixth consecutive game on Friday afternoon following a conversation with team doctor Pat McKenzie earlier in the morning regarding the state of Rodgers’ fractured left collarbone.

Matt Flynn will start his third straight game at quarterback after registering a 95.6 quarterback rating in Sunday’s 22-21 win over Atlanta.

McCarthy called the discussion “difficult’ as Rodgers felt well enough to play after increasing his workload this week in practice and even taking some team snaps on Wednesday and Thursday.

However, Rodgers didn’t undergo any further scans of his collarbone, according to McCarthy despite an ESPN report suggesting he would on Friday morning.Without it, it’s difficult to imagine he had any real chance of playing based on what Rodgers has stated in the past.

“He feels he’s ready to play,” McCarthy said. “Based on what he’s accomplished physically and what he was able to do at practice on Wednesday and Thursday, he’s ready to go. Hey, it’s not the easiest thing to sit there and tell your franchise quarterback he can’t play in the game when he wants to play in the game. This is clearly a decision that’s made in the best interest of Aaron Rodgers.”

McCarthy was asked if the decision was strictly a medical one, but wouldn’t go into specifics. He stood by the decision, feeling it was “the right one,” but acknowledged Rodgers was “disappointed” and “frustrated.”

It didn’t look as promising earlier in the week for Rodgers’ return, but his return to team drills on Wednesday and Thursday left a glimmer of hope. On Friday, Rodgers was mostly back to observing during the roughly 10-minute portion of practice open to the media.

Without Rodgers, the Packers will be counting on Flynn for the third straight week against the NFL’s worst-ranked defense in Dallas, which is allowing 426.8 yards a game this season.

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Flynn and the Packers’ offense had a forgettable outing in a 40-10 loss to Detroit on Thanksgiving but bounced back in completing 75 percent of his passes against the Falcons for 258 yards with a touchdown and interception.

"My mind-set all week’s been that I’m going to start,” Flynn said. “That’s been my mind-set, so it doesn’t really change anything. Just keep preparing, make sure – our physical work’s kind of in the bag – so just mentally, I’m going over the game plan, understanding it a little bit more. Just making sure I’m 100 percent on everything that we’re trying to accomplish.”

If Rodgers is frustrated, Flynn and left tackle David Bakhtiari haven’t seen it surface in the locker room.

“Now that I think about it, he did seem kind of – you know Aaron has stone-cold face,” Bakthtiari said. “That’s why it’s hard for defenses to pick up on him because he’s really good at doing what he does best. I guess now I think about it”

The stakes are high for the Packers, who sit ½ game behind Chicago and Detroit for the NFC North lead. A loss with only three games left on the schedule would significantly damage Green Bay’s chance of catching up.

The Packers will have a significant weapon available in running back Eddie Lacy, who practiced on Friday and is listed as probable to play through a sprained ankle.

Now, it’ll be up to Flynn to keep their chances alive with Rodgers still on the mend.

“Matt Flynn, let’s go. Let’s go win the game,” Bakhtiari said. “Matt Flynn won us the last game. He’s only improved every week. The more time he gets in here, he’s had about a month being in our program again, it’s good.”